back in new york

After a very successful three month experiment living in New York last fall, we have decided to do it again. We are here for half the time this year – a short six weeks instead of three months. Just like last year, I will be writing weekly recaps of what we see and do as well as reflecting on the difference between living in New York city and our quieter lives in the suburbs south of San Francisco.

A few things are very much the same as last fall: 

* We brought our anxious, 6 year-old dog with us again and it turns out that she remembers that New York streets are loud and scary but also retained the ability to go potty in tree wells.

* We are living in a 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment that is about 1000 square feet, located in Chelsea about 10 blocks from our previous place in the West Village. We have a doorman and are conveniently located near subway stops and Citibikes. We are again in a corner apartment with big windows and a north west facing view.

* Our apartment is rented from a company called Blueground that offers short-term, furnished rentals in a lot of cities around the world. We looked for apartments through sites like Leasebreak, Nestseekers and Furnished Quarters as well as a few real estate agents and found that Blueground was our best option for flexible dates, having a dog and wanting something furnished without having to live with a stranger’s clothes and personal items (yes, this is an issue).

* We are headed back into the same workout routine at Liftonic, Modo Yoga and Barry’s (which is on our block). I may be trying three new gyms: SLK, Bodyrok and Ambition (also on our block). I am back in the same weekly, 2 hour tennis clinic at Roosevelt Island but am hoping to get play time at least once at the courts inside Grand Central Station. 

* I am continuing my search for the best chocolate chip and ginger snap cookies in Manhattan. Last year’s winner was Chip City’s banana chocolate chip although this flavor has not been offered in the last ten months. My friend just introduced me to Schmackary’s in Hell’s Kitchen (featured on “Only Murders in the Building”) and Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods in the West Village (home of the pie crust cookie) which are strong contenders. Along with this pursuit, it’s important that I try the challah, babka and chocolate rugelach at Breads Bakery.

* Like last year, we experienced a move-in hiccup and the rental apartment was not exactly as described. This apartment is supposed to be equipped with one king and one queen bed. However, we are currently “enjoying” the coziness of a queen bed and are waiting on a delivery of a king in a few days. I am going to be pressing hard for some compensation for the inconvenience. Last year, there were also problems with the furniture as well as water damage in a closet and it took several weeks to get the issues resolved.

A few things that are distinctly improved from last year:

* We are in a much newer building with a well appointed lobby. The building has uniformed doormen who are sober (not obviously high), a roof deck, gym and even community social events. We cannot hear street noise from inside our apartment so we don’t need ear plugs and are not up at 2 am wondering why our upstairs neighbor seems to be moving furniture. The building even has two luggage carts and the supers – who are here full time, not just when needed – helped us move all of our crap from the car to the apartment. 

* The air conditioning and heating are four separate units installed in the main room and each of the bedrooms. They do not go on and off like the window units and are much quieter and more effective. I am grateful to have the option to control the heat when the weather gets colder rather than having a radiator kick on and off depending on the temperature set by the building. As a woman in her 50’s, I cannot understate the need to be in control of the interior temperature. 

* The kitchen is much more usable because it actually includes a few drawers and “normal” size appliances and sink. The dishes and kitchen tools are all nicer and newer than what we had last year and it is really making me think that I should have complained more last fall.

* The closet space if definitely more ample and we were able to put all of our clothes away in the primary bedroom instead of putting my clothes in the second bedroom closet. We even have a coat closet. All three closets were stocked with heavy, wooden hangars. We brought some of the items we bought last year with us expecting to need dorm-like storage options again and only used our extra hangars.

* I have updated and reorganized my restaurant list that I created last year. We are hoping to hit as many new places as possible as well as visit some of our favorites from last year including Shukette, Rubirosa, Brandy Library and L’Artusi. If you have any advice about how to get a dinner reservation at I SODI, we would love to hear it. It looks like they are in a new, larger West Village location so that might help and we are not above eating early and sitting at a counter.

* Because we visited the building before we moved in and it is more modern, I did not experience the move in “freak out” that happened last year where I resisted unpacking for three days because I was hesitant to commit to living in the apartment for 90 days.

* We are planning to attend three lectures at the famous 92nd Street Y, hoping to see “Gutenberg!” in previews and feel like we have to get to the bar at the Carlyle Hotel.

* Our 24 year-old son is here for the first two weeks of our trip and is working remotely. He is, of course, enjoying having a free place to stay in New York and also my willingness to fund an update of his wardrobe.

* I will be seeing a friend I have not seen in 24 years. She and I met at UCSB summer school in 1987 between our junior and seniors years of high school. The last time we saw each other she was about to start Cardozo Law School and I was about to apply to business school and start dating my husband. We lost touch from about 1999 until this past year where she found me through my blog. I had looked online for her for several years but she has no obvious online presence. We have been emailing and texting for several months and I am very excited for this reunion. 

* The biggest difference from last year is that my husband is not working while we are here. He is free to explore with me all day everyday. Is it possible that this could be too much togetherness? LIkely. I am certain that he is going to opt out of shopping in SoHo, be very selective about which Broadway shows he sees and find a way to play some golf so there will be some natural breaks. I expect that future blogs will include a discussion of how much togetherness is the right amount and how you know when you need a break.